A series of letters suggests that senior IRS official Lois Lerner was directly involved in the agencys targeting of conservative groups as recently as April 2012, more than nine months after she first learned of the activity.

Lerner, the director of the IRS exempt organizations office in Washington, D.C., signed cover letters to 15 conservative organizations currently represented by the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) between in March and April of 2012. The letters, such as this one sent to the Ohio Liberty Council on March 16, 2012, informed the groups applying for tax-exempt status that the IRS was unable to make a final determination on your exempt status without additional information, and included a list of detailed questions of the kind that a Treasury inspector generals audit found to be inappropriate. Some of the groups to which Lerner sent letters are still awaiting approval.

Lerner has denied involvement in the targeting, which she has blamed on a few front-line people in the agencys Cincinnati field office. I have not done anything wrong, she told members of the House oversight committee on Wednesday. However, she then refused to answer any questions, citing protection under the Fifth Amendment. She has since been placed on (paid) administrative leave, and the committee may call her to testify again.

One thing is clear: this correspondence shows [Lerners] direct involvement in the scheme, wrote Jay Sekulow, chief counsel for the ACLJ. Further, sending a letter from the top person in the IRS Exempt Organization division to a small Tea Party group also underscores the intimidation used in this targeting ploy.

The letters coincide with former IRS commissioner Douglas Shulmans March 2012 testimony before Congress, in which he said there was absolutely no targeting of conservative groups at the agency. Months later, an internal IRS investigation concluded that the agency had engaged in such targeting. Obama-administration officials have insisted the targeting stopped in May 2012, although a number of ACLJ clients have received similar requests for information from the IRS within the past year, according to chief counsel Jay Sekulow.

Oh Oh this can’t be true....But now we have to connect the dot’s back to the White House. I wonder if this person BOB BAUER— White House General Counsel that was written about in yesterday’s WSJ by Has anything to do with the IRS Scandal.

Bob Bauer, the Obama campaign (and later White House) general counsel, wrote letters to the Department of Justice in August 2008 attacking a conservative 501(c)4 called the American Issues Project for running an ad that highlighted Obama’s connection to former Weather Underground terrorist Bill Ayers. Bauer did not stop there; he also contacted the Federal Election Commission. That same month, a left-wing activist created a 501(c)4 called Accountable America that was designed to intimidate GOP donors.

4
posted on 05/24/2013 7:18:10 AM PDT
by ncfool
(Obama's aMeriKa 2012 can we make it until 2016?)

Here’s how I have learned to think with my legal training. The presumption is that the g’mint is neutral and doing it’s job without bias towards any group. The burden is then on the citizen to show how he/she has been discriminated against. Once that showing has been made, the burden shifts to the g’mint to prove that no discrimination took place. In this case, the burden is on the IRS to show that it treated the applicants in a balanced way. Of course they say that they were just swamped and it was low level bureaucrats who blinked on Friday afternoon after a long hard week but they, who are masters of statistics, have to do better than that. Hopefully Lois is socking away that money. I hope she loses it all to the victims. Anyone know whether she has immunity? Anyone know if it is even possible to fire a civil servant anymore? At least she isn’t black so they can’t play the race card but I about exploded when she got weepy. Shame on her for playing the girl card.

One thing is clear: this correspondence shows [Lerners] direct involvement in the scheme, wrote Jay Sekulow, chief counsel for the ACLJ.

As I understand it, Sekulow is the lead attorney for a group of Tea Party organizations who are suing the IRS. In that position he has access to the correspondence between these organizations and the IRS.

But there are a lot of Tea Party groups that are not part of this lawsuit so we really don't have the big picture of what was really going on. The IRS is not going to supply it so the info is going to have to come from the injured parties.

Seems to me that someone within the greater Tea Party Universe should take it upon themselves to build the database of info that would contain Application Date, Completions Date, Withdrawal Date, Correspondence, Questions Asked etc.

Until that is done we really won't have a decent picture of what really went on and a way of judging the changes, if any, in the behavior of the IRS at the points in time where the management learned of the targeting practice.

I'm betting that there were no significant changes at all but there is no way at this point to prove it.

To dream.

9
posted on 05/24/2013 7:26:44 AM PDT
by InterceptPoint
(If I had a tag line this is where you would find it)

Robert F. Bauer, who will take on part of the responsibilities of Norm Eisen, the departing Special Counsel to the President for Ethics and Government Reform, has a long and storied career in Washington. He has represented the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the Kerry and Obama presidential campaigns, and 527 organizations like Vote Now and America Coming Together. Hes defended Democratic politicians who ran into ethics trouble, including former Rep. Tony Coelho and former Sen. Robert Torricelliboth of whom were forced to give up their offices as ethics charges mounted against them. He’s filed ethics complaints against Republican and Republican-leaning organizations, most spectacularly when he prepared a complaint alleging racketeering on the part of former Republican Majority Leader Rep. Tom DeLay for extortion (for his aggressive fundraising), money laundering and illegally coordinating with section 527 groups to evade campaign finance laws. The suit was later dropped.

Thanks mostly to Lexis-Nexis and his own blog, here are a few choice quotes from Robert Bauer over the years. In reverse chronological order:

10
posted on 05/24/2013 7:31:14 AM PDT
by ncfool
(Obama's aMeriKa 2012 can we make it until 2016?)

My understanding is the new acting IRS commissioner asked for Ms. Lerners resignation,and she refused to resign. She was then put on administrative leave instead, Grassley said in a statement. The IRS owes it to taxpayers to resolve her situation quickly. The agency needs to move on to fixthe conditions that led to the targeting debacle."

They knew how she made her bones, and promoted her.
Having expressed my support for the Bill of Rights—she can’t have it both ways.
She can’t give an opening statement and then ‘clam up.’ Unless her name is ‘Michael Corleone.’
Raising the question, did Bam-bam ever say, “I don’t want my attack dog coming out that hearing with only her **** in her hand.”?
Gangsters.

Letorneau... a very little fish, an executive assistant. This is where you start. Somebody who has much to gain, paid very little and immunity provides tremendous value to her. She is the admin. to Lerner. She has to be very tense by now.

President Obama Announces His Intent to Appoint Individuals to the Presidential Commission on Election Administration

WASHINGTON, DC  Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to appoint ten individuals to the Presidential Commission on Election Administration. The Presidential Commission on Election Administration was created following President Obamas State of the Union pledge to identify non-partisan ways to shorten lines at polling places, promote the efficient conduct of elections, and provide better access to the polls for all voters.

'Michael Corleone' waived his 5th Amendment rights because he wanted/chose to make a statement.

"In the hopes of clearing my family name -- and in the sincere desire to give my children the fare share of the American way of life, without a blemish on their name and background -- I have appeared before this committee and given it all the cooperation in my power. I find it a great dishonor for me personally to have to deny that I am a criminal. I wish to have the following noted for the record. That I served my country faithfully and honorably in World War two and -- was awarded the Navy Cross for action in defense of my country. That I have never been arrested or indicted for any crime what-so-ever. That no proof linking me to any criminal conspiracy whether it is called "Mafia" or "Cosa Nostra" or whatever other name you wish to give has ever been made public. I have not taken refuge behind the 5th amendment as it was my right to do. I challenge this committee -- to produce any witness or evidence against. And if it do not -- I hope they will have the decency to clear my name with the same publicity with which they have now besmirched it."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/bob-bauer/gIQAgz4w6O_topic.html
Outgoing White House Counsel (December 2009 to June 2011)
Why He Matters
Bauer is one of the nation’s pre-eminent experts on election and campaign finance law, and his views are enormously influential with Democrats.
Married to Anita Dunn.
Another article: http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2012/11/28/democratic-lawyerobama-advisor-bob-bauer-to-teach-at-nyu/
Bauer is returning to New York University Law School this spring to teach a seminar on political reform.
The course will encompass campaign finance, lobbying laws, voting rights and moretopics Mr. Bauer has had ample exposure to during his 30 years of practice as a lawyer, which include stints working for political campaigns and the Democratic National Committee.
It gets better. Read the end of this paragraph.
During his time on the campaign trail, Mr. Bauer led challenges to new voter laws backed by Republicansincluding suing the state of Ohio in Julyand lobbied the Federal Election Commission to allow individuals to text in donations (as did his Romney counterpart). Mr. Bauer also sought to compel the well-funded Republican advocacy group Crossroads GPS to disclose the names of its donors, citing millions of dollars the group has spent on campaign ads attacking Democrats.

This is the guy who pulled the chains with the IRS on behalf of the White House.

27
posted on 05/24/2013 8:02:44 AM PDT
by ncfool
(Obama's aMeriKa 2012 can we make it until 2016?)

Keep in mind, at least 300 groups were targeted out of Cincinnati alone. Those applications spent anywhere from 18 months to nearly 3 years in the system and some still dont have their non-profit status. 300 groups multiplied by at least 18 months for each group, means thousands of red flags would have been generated in the system.

So who in the chain of command would have received all these flags? The answer, according to the IRS directory, one woman in Cincinnati, Cindy Thomas, the Program Manager of the Tax Exempt Division. Because all six of our IRS workers have different individual and territory managers, Cindy Thomas is one manager they all have common.

The story about the Congressmen that requested the IRS crack down on certain groups claimed that at first Lerner refused to do it. If that turns out to be true, then she may end up being the weak link...

We will just have to see how this all plays out. Might take a lot of popcorn.

33
posted on 05/24/2013 8:24:22 AM PDT
by Tammy8
(~Secure the border and deport all illegals- do it now! ~ Support our Troops!~)

If you invoke 5 Amendment Privilege in a case related to your job function, you are automatically subject to being fired via Eisenhower Admin era Executive Order.

It is laos amusing how the people being grilled are some of the most arrogant, disgusting, obnoxious, out of touch non sympathy inducing ex - high school hall monitors one could imagine.

These people truly are the face of the Democrat Bureaucrat. Nasty, ruthless, uncaring, self righteous, and cold blood enforcer of the modern PC Progressive movement.

They would fit in perfectly in the bureaucracy Soviet Union, Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, Communist Cuba and Venezuela, administering and rubber stamping executions, transferees to Camps or Gulags, scheduling of firing squads, seizing of assets and all the other functions need to keep an oppressive tyranny humming along.

To even be superficially exposed to them is to hate them.

The best thing about these scandals is letting these people come out to show America just what kind of people are running the show.

No, no, no. Wrong. She “said’ she did nothing wrong. Dudden that make it true? Ain’t she not guilty because she “said” she didn’t do nuttin’ wrong! No guilty. By order of the Dictator in the White Mosque on Penn Avenue.

Commission to identify practical, real-world solutions to long voter lines, access to polls.

WASHINGTON, May 21, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Presidential Commission on Election Administration was officially launched today, following President Barack Obama ‘s State of the Union pledge to identify non-partisan ways to shorten lines at polling places, promote the efficient conduct of elections, and provide better access to the polls for all voters.
The 10-member Commission will submit a final report to the President within six months of its first public meeting, which is expected to be held in Washington in June. Headed by Co-Chairs Bob Bauer and Ben Ginsberg , the Commissioners are experts in election administration, policy and procedures, or leaders from customer service-oriented businesses and industry.

“The President’s expectation is clear,” said Co-Chair Bob Bauer , who served President Obama as White House counsel from December 2009 until 2011, and as General Counsel to the President’s re-election committee and to the Democratic National Committee. “The Commission is charged with developing recommendations based on the best information available for administrative practices that afford voters the opportunity to cast ballots without undue delay and improve their overall experience.”

The Commission was created by Executive Order 13644, Establishment of the Presidential Commission on Election Administration. Commissioners were appointed by the President.:

Robert F. Bauer , Co-Chair and Member  Partner, Perkins Coie LLP

Another Obama Executive order.

40
posted on 05/24/2013 8:50:40 AM PDT
by ncfool
(Obama's aMeriKa 2012 can we make it until 2016?)

this has been my contention from the beginning. As much as I detest the BOLO target list, I think they will be able to weasel word themselves out of trouble with that since there are other BOLO target lists and have been for years.

It is the development of the questions which will bring the most bang for the buck. Who wrote them. Who signed off on using them. Why would the IRS agents knowingly use them when this goes so far against the grain that it cannot be talked out of.

I would fire every IRS agent who sent them regardless of their protestations. Tough crap on them. They knew it was wrong and so they must go. No federal worker is required to complete an illegal act.

Unlike the battle cry for Nixon (follow the money) this time I kept saying FOLLOW THE QUESTIONS.

I want to know who actually wrote the questions that the non-profits were required to answer.

EXACTLY. The IRS front line paper pushers did not have the resources to have done the research necessary to formulate a majority of the specific targeted questions that involved individual associations and other such seemingly IRS irrelevant issues. There was and are both a political and research component to this scandal.

Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.